My "kid" was told they couldn't order off childrens menu

[marielynn724]

I bet "Jersey Week" is just a brutal time for WDW CMs.

what does this have to do with anything?

 

[robinb]

I completely agree with this assessment.

I have the same problem with my son, he is 13 years old, and still only wants chicken nuggets, mac n cheese, pizza, etc...
I have a 12 year old daughter that wants a full blown 7 course (expensive!) meal.
I don't know how it's going to fly with a 6'2" boy ordering from the kids' menu this upcoming trip.

I have heard that you can order adult portions of food off the kid's menus for an additional price. I'm not sure if that's true ... you may want to start a thread asking that specific question to see if someone can verify it. You can also order items off the adult menu and "dumb it down" be removing sauces, adding fries, etc. I feel your pain on the size of the kid's meals. My DD doesn't eat a lot but I noticed that most of the kid's meals were getting a bit small for her at 11. Even if they allowed her to continue to order, I don't know if it will be enough food for her and she's not even 5' tall yet!

 

[scottmel]

Maybe I am slow but I took the Jersey Week comment to mean it stressed out the CM's being so crazy / busy like Spring Break so maybe they were feeling frazzled and just not as polite about the kids menu as they might have been another time...

 

[robinb]

Maybe I am slow but I took the Jersey Week comment to mean it stressed out the CM's being so crazy / busy like Spring Break so maybe they were feeling frazzled and just not as polite about the kids menu as they might have been another time...

That was what I thought too. ETA: Considering that the OP is from NJ and he travels in July (not Jersey Week) I'm sure it was a dig.

 

[delgrec]

Maybe I am slow but I took the Jersey Week comment to mean it stressed out the CM's being so crazy / busy like Spring Break so maybe they were feeling frazzled and just not as polite about the kids menu as they might have been another time...

Jersey week is by no means like spring break. I am willing to bet the poster was making a nasty comment about people from NJ. The OP is from NJ and did not go Jersey week so the post would be completely out of context otherwise.

 

[stmize]

My ds 14 is a picky eater. Ckn nuggets and pizza we've never had a problem ordering adult portions off the kids menu once he became a Disney adult. We've done this at 50's ptc, ltt and the plaza to name a few The times we've done tho we have been on the ddp not sure if that made a difference

 

[OceanAnnie]

I order from the kid's menu frequently when at WDW. Sometimes DH and I will get an adult meal and split it (we tell the CM up front this is our plan), sometimes we will order a bunch of appetizers for a meal. And we *do* order our own adult meals too. It all depends on how hungry we are.

We haven't had anyone say anything about any of our choices. I think we had to pay a little extra for another plate when splitting a meal. I don't remember. So many times it's just way too much food. We aren't going to eat all of it, it's wasteful. Sometimes we want to order a dessert and knowing it's too much food to begin with, we start small so we have room for dessert.

 

[alice99]

My ds 14 is a picky eater. Ckn nuggets and pizza we've never had a problem ordering adult portions off the kids menu once he became a Disney adult. We've done this at 50's ptc, ltt and the plaza to name a few The times we've done tho we have been on the ddp not sure if that made a difference

Thanks, good info for me! I can't wait for this kid to start eating like an adult!

 

[TheWho]

Good discussion by everyone, except.......
To Balou2u who wrote I bet "Jersey Week" is just a brutal time for WDW CMs.
Please pay attention to the sign on the I-95 the next time you drive thru NJ, it says "Welcome to New Jersey, now get the hell out of here!"
(just a joke, you shouldn't believe everything you watch on tv)



To DisneySarah, good for you, I also will be there in Sept to see Roger in Newark.

 

[rentayenta]

I worked on and off as a server for a good 20 years and honestly, I don't remember adults ordering from the children's menu being an issue. I understand that restuarants sell kids' meals very cheap as a lure to bring families in however it's not like when a *Disney* adult orders off the kids menu, they are getting more than they pay for, it's still a kid's portion. I can see not including the soda when an actual *legal* adult orders from the kid's menu especially if it comes with free refills but the food itself- not a big deal.

Have you seen the Farrell's Ice Cream video on customer service called Give Them the Pickle? It's very insightful. Just give us the pickle Disney. Gosh knows we pay enough.

 

[mdsd8700]

My dd is 14 and is a picky eater. We will either split something or she will order from the kids menu. Most of the time we do not have any problems. twice we have been told she can order from the kids menu but it would be an "adult" portion and cost more. That is was okay with us. I guess it really depends on the resturant/server.

 

[BrytEydBelle]

I worked on and off as a server for a good 20 years and honestly, I don't remember adults ordering from the children's menu being an issue. I understand that restuarants sell kids' meals very cheap as a lure to bring families in however it's not like when a *Disney* adult orders off the kids menu, they are getting more than they pay for, it's still a kid's portion. I can see not including the soda when an actual *legal* adult orders from the kid's menu especially if it comes with free refills but the food itself- not a big deal.

Have you seen the Farrell's Ice Cream video on customer service called Give Them the Pickle? It's very insightful. Just give us the pickle Disney. Gosh knows we pay enough.

Agree completely! Disney is supposed to be magical, do they really want to ruin it with some nitpicky rules about food? Especially when there is a valid argument for people to order off the kids menu...it isn't like its a buffet where the pricing is different for adults and kids. The meal selections are usually completely different and the portions are much more manageable for children. As a picky child/teen, I ordered off the kids menu for quite some time when I was able. And during those years, that was the biggest criteria for tipping servers...if they allowed me to order off the kids menu, they were tipped well, if not, I ordered an appetizer or didn't eat (super picky!) and they were not tipped much if at all depending on how rude they were when they refused.

 

[pigletto]

Interesting. We also have a ressie for the Plaza and are planning to pay OOP for that meal. DD (who is 14) is a vegetarian and wants the grilled cheese. I don't care if it costs more, or if she doesn't get included dessert, or has to pay for her drink.. I am just hoping they will let her have a grilled cheese.

We'll see I guess.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I don't get it...what is wrong with the post ?
Insiders joke? Isn't Jersey week when tons of people flood into WDW? Sort of like Spring Break? But all the Jersey schools are out? Or did I miss something?

I haven't lived in NJ since 1991, but the second I saw that post it IMMEDIATELY registered as an insult. i.e. implying that people from NJ are predisposed to give CM's a hard time...moreso than other guests from other areas of the country/world. I can't see any other reason someone would post that- it's extremely rude and inappropriate IMHO. (*stepping down off my soap box*)

 

[LisaTC]

to all you from NJ who endure incessant jibes...I'm from Ohio, nobody is easy on us either! To the OP...I guess, in the future, perhaps an idea would be to phrase your request such as, while I realize they are too old to order off the child's menu, would there be anyway we could get a grilled cheese a la cart or similar statement. That way they'd know you know the "rules" but wanted something you KNEW your kids would eat. Working as a server for several years, I don't see why any restaurant wouldn't want to "serve" their clientele however they could. Seemed like somebody was having a bad night. Better luck next time. I know that at some restaurants, they have "senior savers." Take Bob Evans for example, 55 or over. Are you really going to question whether somebody is 54?? Kids meals are loss leaders, a PP was correct. However, I doubt most people coming into a WDW restaurant are only going to order grilled cheese for their table of 8!

 

[sdzman]

The rule is kind of silly especially when using the DDP. Besides the portions, the selections are different. Whats next? Are we going to have our plates inspected at Chef Mickeys to make sure we didnt grab any Mickey waffles, chicken nuggets are anything else designated to a childs selection. The manager should have just let it go and make the OP happy.

 

[jjsmom]

I can't understand why they made such a big deal out of this Where's the magic for Pete's sake? My DD, now 19, and always a big, mature looking kid who preferred (sometimes) the selections on the kid's menu well past age nine. Also the portion sizes were better suited for her love of the rides . I don't recall ever having a problem, no one batted an eye. To OP, you seem to be taking this in stride . If it were me, I don't have a lot of patience and that little confrontation would have put me in a lousy mood (lousy mood=tight wallet) and I wouldn't have been so quick to order extras (dessert, second drink, etc.) and I wouldn't have been an overly generous tipper.

 

[minniebeth]

I have heard that you can order adult portions of food off the kid's menus for an additional price. I'm not sure if that's true ...

I'm sure it's different at each location, but the last time we stayed at the Polynesian and had a dining plan, my DD13 was an "adult" but wanted just the regular grilled cheese. Since it was an adult meal, they gave her two regular grilled cheeses along with her meal. It really was such a waste, she couldn't eat the two as much as she liked it. If I had only known, we would have told them just to do one, as to not waste the rest...

To the OP, I think the most frustrating thing about the kids' meal policy is the inconsistency of the restaurants. It's understandable to be annoyed when accomodated so willingly in one place only to be given that kind of explanation in another. I'd be put off by the way it was handled as well.

As to the NJ dig, (I'm originally from NJ, I knew it was a dig the moment I read it) WHY must everyone comment back? Just IGNORE them!!!!!! The reaction is obviously what they are looking for....

 

[quirkygal]

Never mind - quick replied to ask a question about something on page 1 that was answered on pages 2 and 3...

 

[DianeV]

I especially dont understand this when on the dining plan. You are paying Disney for adult food and actually getting kid food. they save money duh